In Today's Times:
How the Obama administration handled the attack on an American consulate in Libya has become a top issue in the presidential campaign, Peter Baker and Trip Gabriel write. Debate flared up after the vice-presidential debate in which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. seemed to contradict official statements by the White House and the State Department about the event.
President Obama's aides say he will give a “passionate and energetic†follow-up on Tuesday to his debate performance in Denver, but not a repeat of Mr. Biden's debate style on Thursday against Representative Paul D. Ryan, his Republican rival. Michael D. Shear writes that while conservatives took offense at Mr. Bid en's performance, Democrats praised him for giving the vigorous defense they had expected from Mr. Obama.
In a suburban Cleveland House race that is one of the most crucial and expensive contests in the country, the two Republican incumbents running against each other believe they aren't being heard. Jonathan Weisman explains that Representatives James B. Renacci and Betty Sutton blame a barrage of negative ads blanketing the airwaves in greater Cleveland for drowning out their competing messages.
Voters in Maryland and Washington State could be easy prey for hackers seeking to disenfranchise them after computer security experts identified vulnerabilities in the states' voter databases. Nicole Perlroth explains that the experts and voting rights advocates argue that it would be relatively simple for hackers to use publicly available information to disenfranchise an individual voter or a large bloc of them. But state officials say the concerns are exaggerated.
In Missouri, everyone seeking office - from Gov. Jay Nixon to Senator Claire McCaskill, even President Obama - has to make a political calculation about whether to call the state “Missouree†or “Missourah.†Sarah Wheaton writes that how one pronounces the state's name can carry as much political heft as the positions one takes on the economy and social issues.
The President's Weekly Address:
The turnaround of the automotive industry features prominently in President Obama's weekly address. Without referring to his Republican rival by name, Mr. Obama reminds voters that Mitt Romney and other Republicans opposed Mr. Obama's decision to bail out American car makers, who now sell the most cars in the world. Mr. Obama also highlighted the positive effects of higher fuel standards and free trade agreements on the middle class.
Happening in Washington:
Starting Saturday, the White House will offer a week of fall garden tours for the public. The to ur covers the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, the Rose Garden, the South Lawn and the White House Kitchen Garden.
